Forest Spirits
by Red RoseDragon
Summary: What do you get if you mix Murphy's Law, revenge, and a few new characters in with the Inuyasha gang? This story, that's what... R for Inuyasha's bad mouth and a little bit of violence.
1. Newcomer

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own Inuyasha resigned sigh or any other characters, names, or settings created by Rumiko Takahashi. I _do_ own Keitaro (mostly) and Ryukasei and their histories, so nyah. All other ideas are mine. All mine, mwahahaha…

_A/N: _My first fanfic! Please let me know how you like it, or how it could be better. Also, ideas are welcome at this point… I'm new at this. Feel free to correct my bad Japanese as well. Cookies for you if you can guess who I (loosely—_very_ loosely) based Keitaro on. Arigatou, and on with the show!

_1_

_Newcomer_

For the second time that clear morning, a sharp _crack_ split the crisp late-spring air.

"Hentai!"

"What?" A dark-haired, handsome Buddhist monk rubbed the hand-shaped slap mark on his cheek, his features a study in wounded innocence. An irate young woman with long, dark brown hair shook out her hand, glaring at the monk.

"Keep your fingers to yourself, or lose them!"

"Sango, I'm hurt. Why would I do a thing like that?"

"Why _wouldn't_ you do a thing like that?" the slender taijiya retorted, rubbing her backside where the monk had felt her up. Again. "And don't give me that crap, Miroku; you aren't hurt. _Yet," _she added menacingly.

Miroku sighed. So did fifteen-year-old Kagome, though without the Buddhist's look of long-suffering wistfulness. The silver-haired hanyou seated next to Kagome snorted rudely, recognizing both bluffs for what they were. Miroku and Sango went through this squeeze-and-slap routine every other morning, then again on the road between villages, then again when they got to a village, if the monk hadn't asked half the village girls to bear his children, then again once they were out of the village…

_Thank Kami she's taking his attention off Kagome, at least,_ Inuyasha thought, growling a little to himself. The first time they'd met the lecherous Buddhist, he'd felt _Kagome_ up, then asked her to bear his children. A good whack to the head had cooled Miroku's ardor… well, as much as anything could. He kept having to be reminded. Sango, at least, liked Miroku enough that she hadn't _really _attempted to take his head off after the first few times. Knowing Kagome, Inuyasha privately thought that, even if the hanyou hadn't been around to object to anyone manhandling her, the monk would have been missing some of his most cherished body parts if he hadn't had to divide at least _some_ of his attention between two pretty girls.

The routine continued through breakfast, the morning bath (Miroku came back from attempting to spy on the girls with a large rock-induced lump on his head) and the first quarter-mile of walking through the forest. By that time, Sango was visibly having a hard time not snarling at the other three. The way she not-quite-absentmindedly stroked Hiraikotsu, her giant boomerang, did not bode well for certain monks known to possess wandering hands, or anyone else who got on her nerves today. Even Shippou, the young, eternally annoying kitsune, recognized the warning signs and kept Sango's giant lynx-youkai Kirara between himself and the irate taijiya. Only Miroku did not.

Everyone was so busy keeping clear of Sango that it was a while before Inuyasha, keeping guard at the back of the group, noticed anything odd.

_Something's following us,_ he thought, glancing over his shoulder. _Something really quiet._ He gave the damp forest air an experimental sniff. The scent wasn't immediately distinguishable from the woodland smells, but it was definitely there. _Shit. Smells… almost like a youkai, but… not. Like it's foreign, or something. Weird._

Still, somebody being quiet meant somebody trying not to be noticed, or somebody trying to set up an ambush. The hanyou grinned, flexing his long, clawed fingers. He hadn't had a good battle in at least ten hours. The day was looking up already.

Feigning ignorance for the benefit of their follower, he hung back from the others a little, pretending to notice something on the opposite side of the trail from their watcher. He strained his dog-ears for the inevitable sounds of something moving through the woods, but for a moment there wasn't so much as a bird twitter. Inuyasha began wondering if he were smelling things.

_Crack._ Sango smacked Miroku over the head with Hiraikotsu for the umpteenth time. It must have startled the stalker, because somewhere in the forest a booted foot snapped a twig in two.

Inuyasha caught the sound easily in his perked, pointed white ears, pinpointed the watcher's location, and bared his fangs in a grin. _Gotcha, bastard._

In less than an instant, he had leaped from the trail into the bushes and bulled straight into something that went "Ooof!" and thudded painfully onto the soft forest floor, the hanyou right on top of it.

One clawed hand was at the stalker's throat before it could blink. Inuyasha grinned savagely, mostly in order to showcase his long, white, _very_ sharp-looking fangs. All of them. Beneath a mussed tangle of long, pale hair, the hanyou's captive sensibly went very still. Inuyasha couldn't see much through all that hair, but he thought the youkai-thing looked young, male, humanoid, and no stranger to combat. A carved longbow and twin short swords strapped to his back confirmed that last assessment. His scent was completely alien, but through the mass of hair Inuyasha could still see the tips of pointed youkai ears. _What the hell is this guy?_

"Inuyasha!" Kagome's voice came from behind him, startled and anxious. "What happened?"

"He was following us," the hanyou snarled, glancing over his shoulder as the other five came into view, weapons ready.

The next instant, he had flipped completely over in mid-air and landed on his head with a painful _crack._ The former captive was on his feet, double blades hissing slowly out of their sheathes. Through the woozy ringing in his ears, Inuyasha could hear the slight gasps from the girls as the swordsman shook his silky, silver-gold hair out of his face.

_Shit,_ the hanyou thought, vague anger surfacing through his daze, _he's better-looking than Sesshoumaru!_

"I don't want to fight you," the not-youkai told them softly, "but I don't really take to the idea of being mauled." He even _sounded_ like Inuyasha's older half-brother, never needing to raise his voice above conversation level. There was that same cool, calm control in his bearing. He had the same sharp, unearthly good looks, the same elegance.

Still, there wasn't any way the two could have been confused. Where Sesshoumaru was tall, with a crispness to his movements and a tendency toward the dramatic, this young man was several inches below Miroku's height. He moved as if he were very at ease with his surroundings, and was dressed for camouflage and comfort of motion in close-fitting green and brown clothing. The garments looked weird, too; they were based on local styles, but were extremely foreign-looking nevertheless.

"Oh, yeah?" Inuyasha growled, picking himself up with as much of his shredded dignity as he could pull together. "Ambushes more your style, bastard?"

"I wasn't planning an ambush," the youth replied calmly. Steel glinted a little in his amber-brown eyes, though. "I was just curious as to why a collection of pretty girls—" he bowed slightly to Kagome and Sango, both of whom inexplicably blushed and giggled, "—and odd characters such as yourselves were tramping through the woods."

"Who're you cal—" Inuyasha began, but Miroku cut him off.

"We're a band of traveling—ah—clerics," the Buddhist told him smoothly. "We go from village to village performing miracles and exorcisms."

A faint smile appeared on the not-youkai's handsome face. "Mm. That explains why half of you are youkai."

"Weak youkai," Miroku lied glibly. "They barter their aid for protection."

Kirara hissed. Shippou yelled, "Hey!" Inuyasha clonked the monk upside the head.

"A taijiya and a Buddhist houshi I could accept," the blond youth continued. "Perhaps even the young lady's cat-youkai. But you, Miko-sama—" he turned the full effect of his amber gaze on Kagome, who flushed to the ears but seemed unable to look away "—do not belong in the sengoku jidai."

"What the hell are you talking about, asshole?" Inuyasha snarled, uneasy at how close the uncanny young man had come to the truth. "She goes wherever she fucking well wants to!"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome warned.

The amber eyes turned to the hanyou, and the smile deepened. "And you do, as well?"

Inuyasha's scowl darkened. Much as he would have liked to say 'yes,' the bead-and-bone rosary around his neck chinked mockingly at him. One word was all it took to render him helpless. _Gods damn that girl and her fucking necklace!_

"Er—ah—um, can we help you, Mr… um…?" Kagome ventured timidly. Inuyasha ground his fangs furiously at the girl's plainly smitten tone of voice. _Damn it, Kagome…_

The not-youkai started, then flushed faintly. "I'm sorry! I didn't think; forgive me. My name is Keitaro. May I have your names?"

Kagome introduced them all, blushing the entire time. Inuyasha made sure to look exceptionally surly when the girl introduced him. The glare bounced ineffectively off Keitaro's imperturbable mask of courtesy.

"Pleased to meet all of you," the blond youth told them politely.

"Were you just following us out of curiosity?" Sango asked, going a little pink. Had Inuyasha not been so put out, he would have been startled; he hadn't known Sango _could_ blush. He did notice that Miroku looked a little disgruntled as well. The houshi was usually the one garnering all the attention.

"I was traveling through, and heard you," Keitaro admitted. "For a moment I thought there was a battle going on."

Kagome and Shippou snickered a little. Sango cast a dark look at Miroku, who was carefully examining his staff.

"Where are you headed?" Kagome wanted to know.

Keitaro shrugged. "Wherever there is news. Nowhere in particular."

Both girls pounced on that. "Would you like to join us?" they chorused. Miroku and Inuyasha gave them equally outraged stares.

"Hey—" the hanyou began hotly, but Kagome shot him a glare easily capable of halting an army in its tracks and mouthed a single word: Osuwari.

Inuyasha swallowed his protest; his pride refused to let this outsider see him beaten into the ground by a _girl._ A _weaponless_ girl, no less. He could see Miroku receiving similar treatment from Sango. It didn't stop either man from leveling the blackest glares they could conjure at the blond swordsman, though.

Keitaro didn't miss the hostile looks from the two young men, but they didn't seem to perturb him much. Still, he hesitated for some reason. "I don't want to intrude—"

"It's no trouble, really," Kagome insisted.

"We could always use another fighter," Sango pointed out.

"And maybe we could help you out, if you're looking for something," Kagome added.

Keitaro's eyes flicked to Kagome, then, almost imperceptibly, to Inuyasha, and something seemed to decide him. He nodded. "All right. Thank you."

"Great!" Kagome enthused. Both girls converged on him, Shippou and Kirara trailing interestedly behind the trio as they walked on.

"We appear to have a problem," Miroku muttered under his breath as the two young men followed at a reluctant distance.

"No shit," Inuyasha growled, cracking his knuckles out of reflex. _I'm not gonna let that asshole out of my sight,_ he promised himself. _I'm not gonna leave Kagome to him._


	2. Dragon Child

_Disclaimer: _There are no words to describe how much I wish I owned Inuyasha and Co…. which is a good thing, because I hate wasting words.

_A/N: _Whee, a review! And so, I write and post. Thank you, Eleature, for reviewing. And yes, it's going somewhere. I promise. Just not immediately… be patient, please!

_2_

_Dragon Child_

Voices.

Ryukasei paused for a moment, cocking her head toward the sounds. A moment was all it took for her to recognize the rounded syllables of a child's voice, a little girl. The youngster was nearer than the young hunter would have liked; only a fool would leave a child so close to the forest's edge without a guardian. Ryukasei stilled, listening for a second voice.

"Rin, get back here!" The squawking, anxious tone so suited the young woman's mental image of a harried babysitter that she smiled. "I mean it, don't go—no, don't pick that—If I have to—_urk!_ Dammit!" The _splat_ of something altogether nasty-sounding indicated what sort of mischief the little girl had been up to. Ryukasei found herself grinning.

"Bad word, Jaken-sama," the child admonished in a giggling, sing-song voice. "Sesshoumaru-sama said not to use bad words in front of Rin-chan!"

The hunter girl's ears perked. _Sesshoumaru? The inu-youkai? Huh. What could this be?_ She slipped closer, making sure she made no telltale sounds. The two voices grew louder, the little girl's laughing, the babysitter's shrill. They bickered, covering the near-silent noise of the girl's approach.

Something whuffed dangerously as she drew near the edge of the forest's shelter. Ryukasei froze, searching for the source of the noise. For a moment, nothing moved. The girl strained her senses for another clue, then relaxed as a familiar scent of magic wafted to her nose. A narrow-eyed, wedge-shaped brown head poked its snout cautiously toward her, closely followed by another head, twin to the first in shape and suspicion. She smiled at both, then padded forward, one hand palm-up in front of her.

The two-headed dragon regarded her with slit-pupiled yellow eyes, then sighed deeply and contentedly. One head snaked forward on its long neck to rest its nose in her hand; the other nipped affectionately at her black-streaked copper hair.

"Hai, little one, I think I remember you," the girl told it fondly, stroking the playful head. "What are you doing, ryuu-chan, so far from the mountains? The lowlands don't hide you well. Has the hunting been scarce higher up?"

One dragon head sneezed on her hand, negating her question. The other shook itself from side to side.

Ryukasei frowned at the head-shake; dragons didn't use such human gestures. "What have you been up to, little one? Here, look at me."

She took the long head in both hands, absently scratching its crown ridges as she searched its eyes. The other head wavered, its eyelids sagging drowsily, a faint purr resonating from its throat. The head she held stopped moving entirely, transfixed by a gaze that had begun, very slightly, to glow gold.

Gently, Ryukasei formed the words in her mind: _/Tell me./_

The thoughts of both heads flooded into hers, one set energetic and fiery, the other dark and brooding. They saw from different eyes, heard from different ears, and yet they were one. Ryukasei sorted through the images with the ease of long experience, focusing on three impressions that stood out most clearly.

_/Names/_ she asked the dragon, memorizing the images it supplied her. One was a little girl, cute and mischievous in a red-and-white yukata, her short black hair pulled in a pigtail and bobbing as she laughed. The dragon's memories named her Rin. Another was a squat, ugly, froglike creature with bulging orange eyes and a two-headed staff. His name proved to be Jaken.

_The little girl and the babysitter,_ Ryukasei realized. _Well, well. Then this…_

The third was a tall young man with silver hair that streamed luxuriantly past his waist. His large eyes were golden-tawny, slit like a cat's, and deep with secrets. Sharply pointed ears confirmed that he was youkai, and his manner told of arrogance and high birth. Even through the memory she could tell he would tolerate nothing but the finest of anything. He wore armor that probably looked more decorative than it was, and carried a long, plain katana. A thick, fluffy white stole was draped over his shoulder—multiple times, so it wouldn't brush the ground. Red and silver-blue tattoos marked his cold, stunningly handsome face with two 'scars' on either cheekbone and a crescent moon on his brow.

…_is Sesshoumaru._

In the dragon's mind, Rin was a passenger and much-doted-on hatchling. Jaken was an unpleasant but necessary burden. But the inu-youkai stood out plainly in the creature's minds as a provider of food—and of fear. The dragon served Sesshoumaru out of a healthy respect for his temper more than anything.

_/My thanks/_ Ryukasei told the brown dragon, and released it. The head she held jerked involuntarily, and the other came awake snapping. She soothed it quickly, then walked toward the edge of the forest. The two-headed creature followed.

Rin looked up eagerly at the sound of the dragon's approach, but paused uncertainly when she saw the red-haired young woman it followed. Jaken froze mid-scold, his froggy eyes almost popping out of his head.

Ryukasei smiled a little at the child, hoping she didn't seem threatening. She never had been good with children. "Hello." She ignored Jaken entirely.

"Hello." Rin brightened a little. "You brought back Ryuu-chan?" The young woman nodded. The dragon whuffed, moving forward to nuzzle Rin's head. The little girl giggled. "Ryuu-chan likes you. What's your name?"

"Ryukasei. What's yours?"

"Rin-chan. That's Jaken-sama." Rin petted her dragon, oblivious to Jaken's state of shock. "Sesshoumaru-sama's not here."

"Mm." Ryukasei turned the conversation away from the inu-youkai. She would find out about him in person. "What were you playing?"

"Catch. Want to play?"

Ryukasei glanced at Jaken, who was splattered with an indeterminate type of muck that had probably been best left alone, and grinned. She liked this girl already.

"Sure," she replied easily. "I'll even make you a ball to throw." Rin leaned forward, fascinated, as the red-haired woman cupped her hands and half-closed her eyes. As she called silently on her own wellspring of power, energy pooled in her hands, shaping itself into a gem-cut, iridescently red ball. Ryukasei offered it to the girl, who accepted it eagerly, tossing it into the air to make it catch the light.

"Do you speak, frog?" she asked Jaken in an undertone, watching Rin play. "Or are you trying to catch flies?"

"D-d… dr-dragon…" the wretched creature stuttered.

"Yes, the dragon likes me. Most little ones do. Are you going to whine about it all day, or is that the only word you know?"

Her insults produced the desired effect. Groveling things like Jaken instinctively responded to them, usually by squawking for their masters or kissing someone's ass. They were natural flunkies and yes-men.

"Sesshoumaru-sama will—"

She cut him off before he could get his voice up and alarm the kid. "Torture and maim me, I know. I wouldn't worry too much about _me,_ if I were in your shoes right now. When's he getting back? If it isn't soon, I might get bored." She grinned slightly at him, showing more tooth than was strictly necessary. The effect was immediate and gratifying: Jaken's greenish-brown skin blanched rapidly, making his eyes look even more ludicrous and froglike.

"He's coming! Soon!" The toadish creature was almost vibrating with terror.

"That's good. Go hide somewhere so I don't have to look at you." Ryukasei turned her attention back to Rin as the girl approached, carrying the sparkling red ball.

Rin watched Jaken speed away. He was setting a remarkable pace, Ryukasei thought amusedly, for something with such short legs. "Where is Jaken-sama going?"

"He has some business. He told me to watch you for a while."

"Okay. Do you want to play with Rin-chan?"

The young woman smiled in spite of herself. "Sure." _She's not bad, for a kid. Cute little thing. What's Sesshoumaru doing with her? He isn't treating her bad at all, unless I'm_ really _missing something…_

_What use does a youkai have for a human kid?_

Hours passed surprisingly quickly. An anxious snort from the dragon warned Ryukasei as she accepted a leaf 'rice ball' from Rin. Both girls looked in the direction the dragon's heads were turned. A waft of air that smelled _very_ strongly of dog, underlaid with a tinge of storm, caught Ryukasei full in the face.

Involuntarily, her pulse quickened. She knew who it had to be. So did Rin, though the child's reaction was far more enthusiastic than the redhead's.

"Sesshoumaru-samaaaaaa!" Rin sang gleefully, jumping to her feet. Ryukasei followed suit more slowly, barring any thoughts of fear from her mind. If she let anything slip, she knew the inu-youkai would smell it. Given his reputation, she guessed he would not waste his time on creatures he considered 'lesser.' She had to make him respect her.

One moment the sky was clear. In the next, a bolt of lightning slammed into the ground, charring a ten-foot circle of grass and blinding everyone. When the dazzle-spots and sun-blind tears had dissolved, Ryukasei saw that a seven-foot-tall inu-youkai was standing in the center of the burned circle.

For a full breath she quite literally couldn't move. The dragon's memories had failed to convey just how _carelessly_ the youkai moved, as if there were nothing interesting or worthwhile left in the world—or as if there was, then he owned it all.

Her mind insisted she was not afraid of Sesshoumaru. The rest of her called her a bloody liar.

"Sesshoumaru-samaaaaa! Rin-chan missed you!" The little girl rushed forward to swing from the end of the youkai's long sash. The two-headed dragon lay down with the clear intention of staying put. Much as she would have liked to do the same, Ryukasei made herself walk forward. As she did, though, she noticed something odd. Sesshoumaru wasn't ignoring Rin's antics, and he wasn't shooing her away like some inconveniently excited pet. He was almost _smiling_ at her. Smiling, like a fond father!

The fear evaporated. Ryukasei stopped a little ways from the edge of the ashy circle, adopting a casual, 'waiting' attitude. She wasn't going to come pleading to him, like a dog to its master. She had indicated interest, and now it was his turn to move.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, come meet Ryukasei-sama! She made Rin-chan a pretty red ball!" Rin was tugging at Sesshoumaru's long sleeves. He let her haul him along good-naturedly. When he met Ryukasei's gaze, however, his golden eyes were anything but kind.

"Indeed, Rin-chan?" he murmured. "Ryukasei is very gifted, is she?"

His gaze was almost hypnotic, like a hunting snake's. The young woman refused to be drawn into them, or to look away; either would be a fatal mistake. Instead, she met his eyes steadily, keeping a strong barrier between her mind and his thoughts. She matched him will for will as Rin chattered.

"Rin-chan, has the dragon seen your new ball?" Sesshoumaru asked without taking his eyes off Ryukasei. "Go show it off, child; the dragon will like how it sparkles." Once Rin had raced happily out of earshot, he stated levelly, "You have a very short time in which to explain why you have challenged me, wench. Use it well."

The fear edged back into her mind a little. There wasn't any reason to doubt the youkai's threat. She ignored it, taking a jaunty, hipshot stance. "I've come to see a man about a hunt."

"I see. And why does this interest me?"

Ryukasei smiled a little, daring him. "I thought you might like a nice ape-skin to hang on your wall." Then she lifted an eyebrow. "Or maybe you've been looking for a half-dog's pelt. Or a sword."

His gaze never shifted, but she could tell she had his full attention now. Inwardly, she grinned. _Gotcha._

"Shall we talk?" Sesshoumaru inquired finally.


	3. We Have A Problem

_Disclaimer: _Nope. Don't own 'em. Would like to, though… —picture Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru on leashes— mmmmm… yeah, I wish.

_A/N: _More madness, mwahahaha. I should be doing a twelve-page research paper that is DUE MONDAY, but instead I write. Don't y'all feel loved? And yes, medlii, you get cookies. . Thank you for reviewing! Read and review, and spread the word, people! Erm, I'm also changing my story rating from PG-13 to R, because Inuyasha is _such _a naughty boy… my, my, where did he learn such language?

_3_

_We Have A Problem_

Sango sighed to herself, partly out of wistfulness, mostly out of annoyance. The two reasons for her exasperation sat opposite each other at the small fire, one glowering covertly at the apparently oblivious other.

_What am I going to do with you, Houshi-sama?_ she thought exasperatedly. While flirting with Keitaro had created one of the desired effects, it had also spawned a multitude of problems. Miroku had barely even looked at anyone but her today, but since she had pointedly stayed close to Keitaro, she was pretty sure the stares hadn't been flattering. The monk's normally cheerful disposition had soured until he was almost as bad as Inuyasha. He wasn't talking to anyone, either, and he was staying away from everyone except the hanyou. _That_ probably wasn't helping, either; Inuyasha was being even more malevolent than Miroku, and Kagome had 'sat' him so many times today it was a wonder he wasn't bruised purple all over!

_This was a mistake,_ the taijiya thought, running one hand through her long brown hair. _Sure, it's making them jealous—and Miroku, at least, deserves a_ little _uncertainty for all the trouble he causes—but at this rate those two are gonna start planning murder, and then everything is_ really _going to fall apart._

After a moment of indecision, Sango got to her feet. _I've got to talk to Kagome-chan. _And_ Keitaro-sama. This isn't working._

As she set an indignantly mewing kitten-Kirara on the ground, the taijiya imagined she could feel Miroku's eyes on her. When she glanced at the houshi, though, he was pointedly looking in another direction. For some reason, she felt her face begin to burn.

_Stop it,_ she scolded herself. _It isn't my fault if he's being pissy._

_Oh, you liar,_ another part of her hissed.

_Shut up._

………………………………………

_Damn it,_ Miroku thought angrily as Sango and Kagome went off into the woods with Keitaro in tow. _What the hell is wrong with them? Going all moon-eyed over some asshole with a pretty face just because he smiles at them? Shit._ The monk brooded for a moment, staring sullenly into the flames. _Bet he doesn't even_ like_ girls. He's waaay too pretty. Bet he's been eyeing Inuyasha… or me…_ Miroku shuddered and cut off that thought before it could take root. Too late.

Inuyasha growled, giving voice to the Buddhist's thoughts. "I'm gonna kill him," the hanyou promised through gritted fangs. "The instant he steps out of those trees, I'm gonna fucking _kill_ him."

"Oh, right, baka," Shippou retorted, skipping out of Inuyasha's reach as he spoke. "You and what army? Or have you forgotten how he dumped you on your butt this morning?"

"That was an accident!"

"Yeah, right!" The kitsune had a look of supreme delight on his pointed little face. "He made you eat dirt! No wonder Kagome skipped off with him!"

Inuyasha roared inarticulately and dove for Shippou, who squealed and darted away. Kirara yowled as they nearly bowled her over.

"You're dead! You're fucking dead, you little shit!"

"Aiiiieeee! Heeeelllp!"

"_Enough!"_ Miroku thundered, slamming his staff into the ground. The two youkai froze in the act of racing around the campfire, Inuyasha's extended claws almost raking Shippou's bushed-out tail.

"If you two are done exercizing your staggering two-year-old mentalities," the monk spat disgustedly, "what do you suggest we do?"

"I thought you had all the answers, oh mighty priest," Inuyasha snarled, reluctantly straightening from his running crouch. "You give orders like you fucking well do."

"If you don't have suggestions, I do: Shut up," Miroku snapped. "The only way we're going to get rid of that bastard is if we can organize a plan."

" 'We?' " Shippou protested. "I don't see where this is _my_ problem! Keitaro's awesome! And the girls think so, too!"

"Shut up!" the monk and the hanyou snarled in unison.

"I mean, he's awesome with those swords of his!" Shippou continued, ignoring them. "And a bow, too! And he's polite, and watches his mouth—" Inuyasha growled involuntarily and cracked his knuckles "—and doesn't try to grab girls' butts all the time—" Miroku tightened his grip on his staff automatically "—and doesn't try to beat me up, and actually uses his brain, unlike _some_ guys I could mention—"

"If you like your head in one piece, asshole, shut the fuck up," Inuyasha snarled, taking a threatening step toward the kitsune. Shippou skipped back a step, but didn't let up.

"—and besides, he'd kick both your butts if you tried to fight him, so I guess I can't blame you for just sitting back and letting the three of them take off—"

"Listen, you little—" Miroku began.

"—especially since the girls like him better anyway!"

"Like hell they do!" Inuyasha spat. It had an edge of uncertainty to it, though.

"Check the proof, baka," the kitsune tossed back. "Keitaro: five zillion, Dog-Breath and Pervert: zero."

"There's no way Sango and Kagome-sama would abandon us for that asshole," Miroku snapped.

"Oh yeah? Then what are you waiting for? Prove it!" Shippou demanded. "Or are you gonna let him just walk off with the girls without a fight?"

Both young men glared at him. Then Inuyasha jumped to his feet. "Back in a minute."

Miroku was fast on his heels. "Me too."

Kirara and Shippou watched them almost-run to the woods, in the direction Keitaro had taken. Kirara mewed questioningly, glancing at the kitsune with what would have been raised eyebrows on a human girl.

"I was kidding," Shippou told her blankly.

………………………………………

The air was so tense in the little camp that Keitaro almost sighed with relief when Sango told Kagome and him that they needed to talk. He knew perfectly well that neither girl had been flirting in earnest, but the hanyou and the monk hadn't been able to guess the game; it had just made them angry.

_My fault, partly,_ the young man admitted without embarrassment. _I forgot that this place isn't anywhere near as complex as Court. This flirting isn't just some form of entertainment; people take it seriously._ It was something of a relief, really; after a while all the intrigue and gossip grew old. Before this, he had been making excuses to get away from the Palace for short lengths of stolen time; once he'd found out he liked wandering far more than Court machinations, he'd taken what few things he needed and disappeared as fast as he could.

_And now I'm slipping into bad habits again._ He shook his head in mild disgust at himself as Sango led the way into the forest. _Playing with people like so many pieces on a board. _I_ should know better, at least._

He was so absorbed in thought that he ran into Sango when she stopped.

"Pardon."

"No problem. Listen, Keitaro-sama…" She hesitated, then said carefully, "I don't think this is going to work."

He found himself feigning obtuseness without realizing it. "You don't think what is going to work?"

She made a general, hopeless gesture. "This! You, and Kagome and me…"

"You two making Inuyasha and Miroku jealous of me," Keitaro supplied drily. "Yeah, I had noticed the doom-stares."

"Sorry." Even in the faint, distant light of the campfire and moon, Kagome looked sheepish. "But it was… kinda perfect… I mean, your timing and all… and you being…"

"Utterly gorgeous?" Keitaro suggested, straight-faced.

"Aagh, you're as bad as they are!" the younger girl giggled, trying and failing to project a convincing sense of outrage. Sango rolled her eyes comically and punched him lightly on the bicep.

"You don't make it easy, do you?" the taijiya asked rhetorically. "Seriously, though, we really do have a problem. The other two are already mad at all three of us, _especially_ you. If we just stop the entire thing, it'll confuse them, and they'll react badly if they know they've been set up. They might try to attack you anyway."

Kagome frowned. "Inuyasha, yeah, but Miroku? I can't see him reacting like that."

"The houshi is good at concealing his emotions," Keitaro put in thoughtfully. "Maybe too good. I wouldn't want to be in his path if he lost control." Kagome conceded that with a nod.

"So… we need to come up with something plausible," Sango mused out loud. "We can't just stop clustering around you and act as if nothing's wrong—"

"Much as I would enjoy confusing the heck out of them," Kagome murmured. The other two grinned in agreement.

"How about one or both of you blowing up at me?" Keitaro suggested.

Kagome shook her head. "They'd take it as an invitation to kick you out, and then they'd be confused or suspicious if we yelled at them for it. We might be able to pretend you've made an ass of yourself and just give you the cold shoulder—"

"Bad idea, for the same reasons," Sango interrupted. "They've pissed the both of us off enough that they recognize _some_ of the signs, at least. They'd still try to get rid of him."

All three were silent for a moment, racking their brains.

"We could just pretend you've said we're not your type," Kagome suggested. No one really liked that idea.

"Debilitating illness?" Sango suggested. Nope.

"You're too forward?" Keitaro offered. Both girls took mock-angry swipes at him for that.

"All right, this is getting ridiculous," the blond youth said exasperatedly, after several more ideas had been rejected. "How about we just—"

"_KAGOME!"_

"Oh, damn," the girl squeaked after all three of them had nearly jumped out of their skins. "He's coming!"

"_SANGO! KAGOME!"_

"They're both coming!" Sango exclaimed, more angry than startled now. "Those stupid, arrogant—"

"_KAGOME!"_ Inuyasha bellowed, slamming himself down so hard the ground shook.

"_What_ the hell is your problem?" Kagome shrieked as they ducked out of the way.

"Stay out of this!" Inuyasha snarled, advancing on Keitaro.

"Inuyasha, don't do this," the swordsman warned, both blades already clear of their sheaths. Inuyasha's only response was a furious growl and a _crackle_ of flexed knuckles.

" '_Stay out of this?'!"_

"You heard him," Miroku's voice said coldly from behind them. The two girls whirled in twin cyclones of outrage to see the monk going to help Inuyasha, staff raised. "We're getting rid of him. He's not welcome."

"Since when do _you two_ decide who's welcome and who's not?" Sango shouted, eyes blazing.

"Who gave you two the right to naysay us?" Miroku countered, not stopping. "He just drops in out of nowhere, and you two get to decide whether or not he's dangerous?"

"That's idiotic!" Kagome cried. "He's not dangerous!"

"Oh, right," Inuyasha spat. "He's just so fucking _sweet._ He's such a pretty-boy, he'd _never_ hurt you... shit, you two are so naïve! Well, too bad! He's leaving—right _now!"_


	4. The Gloves Are Off

_Disclaimer: _No owning Inuyasha for me. Lucky Rumiko Takahashi. But I own Keitaro.

Keitaro: Umm... that's not strictly true...

Shut up, you.

Keitaro: Two words - copyright infringement.

Aaaugh... all right, I own your name and your personality. Doesn't that generally amount to owning you?

Keitaro: ...

_A/N: _Goodness, where were these boys - and girls! - raised? In a barn? Anyway, thank you medlii, for the reviews; ... I really can't think of anything else to say. On with the story.

_4_

_The Gloves Are Off_

The hanyou sprang at Keitaro, who dodged. Miroku stepped in smoothly, sweeping the monk staff down in a low strike, forcing the youth to leap over it. Inuyasha leapt for him again, and even as Keitaro sidestepped the tackle, the Buddhist's staff flashed up toward his head and caught him a glancing blow. He staggered. Inuyasha crowed and bulldozed him to the ground, claws digging into the other man's throat.

"_OSUWARI!"_ Kagome screamed.

"_Aaaaauuuugh!"_ Twin shouts of pain accompanied a resounding _fwump_ as Inuyasha's rosary took hold and drove both the hanyou and the young man under him into the ground. Sango darted toward Miroku as the monk tried to intervene. Weight for weight, even with Miroku's staff as an equalizer, the taijiya was more than a match for him. One small scuffle later, he too was knocked to the ground.

"Bitch," Inuyasha groaned mutedly. Keitaro just groaned. Miroku rubbed his head and glared at Sango, who was holding his own staff threateningly over his head.

"Just shut up and _listen_ for a minute!" Kagome ranted at them. "You _morons!_ Do you even _have_ brains! Or just lumps of rock and muscle!"

"You don't complain when it's _your_ asses we're saving," Inuyasha growled through painfully clenched teeth. "Oh, wait—yeah, you do!"

"Osuwari!"

"Eeaaugh!"

"Hey, I'm under here, too!" Keitaro protested, puffing.

"You shut up!" Inuyasha wheezed.

"_Both_ of you shut up!" Sango snapped. She jangled the staff's hoops warningly when Miroku opened his mouth. "I'm not—"

"What the hell is wrong with you two!" Inuyasha grated, trying futilely to lever himself upright. "We're trying to save your goddamn skins! _Again!_ He could be anyone! He could be some bastard just trying to get into your pants! He could be working for Naraku, for fuck's sake!"

"Watch your damn _language!"_ Kagome snarled.

"You have _no_ proof he's anything but what he's told us," Sango told both the monk and the hanyou heatedly. "You took _me_ in, and I was trying to kill Inuyasha! Is he that much different?"

"We didn't just 'happen' to find you," Miroku snapped. "You weren't just wandering around waiting to be picked up. I don't believe in coincidence."

"Nothing's happened yet!" Sango shot back exasperatedly.

"You call _this_ nothing?" The monk's expansive gesture took in the entire scene, from the Inuyasha-Keitaro sandwich to Kagome's livid expression to the staff the taijiya was holding over his own head.

"_This_ is what happens when you two go running around waving your arms like chickens with your heads cut off and don't bother to _think,"_ Kagome retorted.

"No, this is what happens when _you_ go bug-eyed over some long-haired freak!" Inuyasha yelled over his shoulder. The rosary-spell was wearing off; he was getting to his feet.

"I'm getting tired of that," Keitaro told the hanyou conversationally, also pushing himself up. "Especially when your hair's longer than mine." Inuyasha just growled and glared; Kagome suspected he had nothing to say to that. She bit back an 'osuwari' just in time.

"Sango," Miroku appealed. He'd been silent for a while, eyeing his confiscated staff warily. The taijiya raised it slightly, threatening. "No—please, just let me speak."

"_Now_ you want to talk," Kagome growled. "Five seconds ago it was 'throw him out!' "

"This is getting us nowhere," the houshi pointed out reasonably, getting cautiously to his feet. "I wish to say something."

"Be quick and say it, then."

He gave Sango an injured look, then continued. "This may have been a misunderstanding on our part—"

"I'm getting real tired of you switching sides, bouzu," Inuyasha growled warningly.

"—and it may not have been," Miroku persisted over the hanyou's complaint. "I still don't like to trust so easily when we know there's danger in doing so."

Surprisingly enough, of the three of them, Keitaro looked the least offended by the houshi's statement. Kagome rubbed her temples, muttering soft imprecations. "Then what do you propose we do, assuming for the moment that he _is_ dangerous?"

"A test," Miroku said simply. "We find someone who can tell truth from lies, and have them question him."

Inuyasha didn't look any happier, but he stopped growling for a moment. Keitaro nodded, mostly to himself. Sango hesitated, then shrugged.

"All right. If it'll knock some semblance of sense into your heads."

Kagome was less happy. "Why is this even necessary?" she protested. "Keitaro's said he doesn't want to hurt us, he's had plenty of opportunities to do something and hasn't taken _any_ of them... how can we not trust him?"

"Easily," Inuyasha muttered under his breath. Kagome didn't hear him, but Keitaro had to have. The blond youth still didn't take any offense whatsoever. Instead, he spoke to Kagome.

"Miko-sama," he told her gently, "they have it more rightly than you. If I were in your places, I would take precautions with anyone I met on the road. Appearances... can be deceiving." His eyes flickered for a moment, then regained their steady grip on her gaze. "I don't want any of you to doubt me. This is the surest way to clear my name."

"But I _know_ you're not evil!" she pleaded. "I can feel it!"

He smiled, a bit sadly. "I don't doubt you. You're a miko, after all. But does everything exist in black and white? Are there ever only two sides to one story?"

She started to protest again, stopped, then lowered her gaze. Her gray-blue eyes were dark, unhappy. "No," she answered quietly. "There isn't." When she looked up again, there was a bit more life in her face, but she looked a little disappointed. She made herself sound brisk. "All right, Miroku. Did you have anyone in mind?"

"Well," he replied gravely, "we monks _are_ given the power to—"

"Nuh-uh," Sango interrupted emphatically. "This is going to be an _impartial_ judge."

Miroku drew himself up haughtily, which didn't do much with his staff still in Sango's hands. "Are you implying that a houshi would succumb to temptation?"

"Why don't you ask all the girls you've felt up?" Kagome put in cheekily. Inuyasha and Keitaro smirked at the same time. The hanyou scowled immediately.

Miroku sighed. "No respect," he muttered. "All right, we'll go to the next village and ask for a Buddhist, if you don't trust me."

Sango's expression softened a touch. "I _do_ trust you," she told him, a bit defensively. "Just not about this." He sighed again. The taijiya looked very much as if she wanted to hit him over the head with his staff.

The five ambled back to the camp, Keitaro in front, the two girls conferring together a few steps behind him, and the other two young men grumpily bringing up the rear.

"Load of help you were," Inuyasha grumbled at Shippou as he took the first watch.

"A guy could get killed getting mixed up in that sort of stuff!" Shippou said indignantly, through a face-splitting yawn. Kirara purred.


	5. No Coincidence

_Disclaimer: _Who, me? Own Inuyasha? Er… do I get a prize if I say yes?

Ryukasei: No.

Stay out of this. At least I own you.

Ryukasei: And you have no idea how scary that is.

Mwahahahaha…

Sesshoumaru: I almost feel sorry for the dragon wench.

I could own you, if I wanted to.

Sesshoumaru: I am protected by Rumiko Takahashi's lawyers.

Dammit…

_A/N: _Is anyone out there? Yes, medlii, you are, and for that I thank you bunches and bunches. Anyone else who reads this: please please PLEASE review! I live off reviews!

Ryukasei: You are a very sad individual.

Why can't you stay out of things… I created you, show some gratitude.

Ryukasei: I could tell you that Sesshoumaru sleeps nude…

Oooooooooooooooooooh… lick lips

Ryukasei: …but he'd kill me, and I'd be lying anyway.

Sesshoumaru: Damn straight.

Awwww…

_5_

_No Coincidence_

The only one who had been talking through the entire five-hour dragon ride was Rin. Ryukasei was almost literally frozen stiff at this altitude; Jaken was also freezing, as well as being too petrified to speak; and Sesshoumaru just sat at the front of the beast, radiating icy unflappability. Rin, on the other hand, wrapped snugly in the inu-youkai's tail, would not shut up.

"Where are we going, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she pestered him for the hundredth time in an hour. "Will there be ramen there? Rin-chan is hungry."

Evidently, even Sesshoumaru had limits to what he could endure. For the first time, he actually answered her, even if he only said six words. "We're landing soon, Rin. Be patient."

'_Be patient.' The two most monotonous words in any language,_ Ryukasei thought, gritting her teeth to keep them from chattering. _If he uses them again, I may strangle him. Freezing my ass off... if he isn't doing this on purpose, I'll take the next ride naked and smile the whole way. Damned ice-for-blood bastard._ Some of the legends said a few of the most powerful youkai could read minds. She hoped he was getting an earful if he could. The redheaded girl had long since given up trying to keep her fingers and nose warm; she'd settle for keeping frostbite at bay at this point. As it was, her magic wouldn't keep her going much longer.

To take her mind off her miserable state of affairs, the young hunter concentrated on what she was going to do next. Sesshoumaru had yet to indicate whether he was more interested in Naraku's head or Inuyasha's, or even just the Tetsusaiga, but it didn't really matter which he picked. Her course would be much the same in any case: first, find Naraku, or one of the offspring he'd spawned recently. That would give her a hold over him, whether or not the body she found had a shard of the Shikon no Tama in it. She didn't care about the jewel; all she wanted was Naraku.

If it was Inuyasha she wanted, she would make sure there were witnesses to the way she took down the chosen Naraku-clone; word would inevitably get to the hanyou, and he would come charging after it with his band of camp followers. Ryukasei suppressed a faintly aggrieved sigh. So predictable. Oh, well.

If Sesshoumaru only wanted Tetsusaiga, then bringing Inuyasha in would give her access to the miko who traveled with him, as well as the sword. The miko's power would give Ryukasei abilities she didn't currently have, and Ryukasei would then be able to pass a few of those abilities to Sesshoumaru.

It was a strong possibility that Sesshoumaru would ask for all three, if only to potentially amuse himself by watching her struggle. If that were the case, so much the better; he would owe her thrice over. He'd never have to know how much she was serving her own interests by serving his. She'd pick her three favors more carefully than Aladdin had; oh, yes. There was too much at stake to drop the ball now.

_First on my list: revenge,_ she thought, anger a warm fizz along her spine that kept the stabbing chill at bay. The scar on her right hand, in its fingerless soft-leather glove, throbbed, as if to remind her of its origin. _That raping, murdering gaki-shit is going to pay with interest for what he did. For every last stab and cut._ She refused to let the grief she'd nursed for so long break through, not just yet. She'd save that for when she could look in Naraku's eyes, when he was groveling at her feet, when she could beat that thin-drawn, handsome face of his to a pulp. If Sesshoumaru asked nicely, she'd save him the skin. Pulling it off the nine-lived hanyou bastard while he was still alive was a tempting thought.

_Oh, Haha-ue... poor nii-san... Haruki-chan, what am I going to do..._

_Aaaaauugh! Baka!_ she scolded herself furiously. _No weakness, not now! Not with_ that one _sitting two feet from you! Save it for later, or it'll kill you!_ She forced herself to calm down, to balance. The cold had begun to bite again.

_Let's see, second... mmm. Oh, yes. An envoy to the dragons. The powerful ryuu, not the smaller ones._ She felt herself smiling, but there was no humor in her face. The small dragons followed her instinctively, unless a larger ryuu commanded them. She shared ancestors with them, as the small ones well knew, but the ryuu would never acknowledge her as blood-kin, not unless she had proven herself, both to them and to other beings as powerful as they. All she needed was an introduction; she could take it from there. She _knew_ she could at least stalemate most ryuu in single combat.

_Last... a way home._

She would find a way. Even if she had to go through the realms of the dead, she _would_ go home. If only to bury her demons.

The two-headed dragon dipped lower, and Ryukasei's stomach followed suit belatedly. She swallowed queasily, refusing to show how much discomfort she was in. They were landing, for the gods' sakes. She could survive that long.

"Are we there yet, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin whined. "Jaken-sama, I'm _hungry."_

"We're almost there, Rin," Jaken managed. "We'll eat as soon as we land."

_Heh,_ Ryukasei snorted inwardly. _Not if the High Lord_ _Ice-Ass up there has anything to say about it. Youkai don't eat unless they want to, and he's in a hurry._

But he surprised her. As soon as they touched down—in a little forest clearing that held a faint scent of _human—_Sesshoumaru disappeared for fifteen minutes, to return with a roast deer slung over his single able shoulder. Rin dug in happily, Jaken less so; apparently, he had more amphibian tastes, but he knew Rin couldn't eat a whole deer all by herself, and might not eat at all if he didn't show interest in it. For much the same reasons, Ryukasei took a small portion. The dragon got the rest, the two heads quarreling over the choicest bits.

"Don't eat so fast, Ryukasei-sama. You'll get a tummyache."

The redhead licked the last juices from her fingers and smiled at the girl. "Gomen nasai, Rin-chan. I'll try to eat more slowly." She couldn't remember the last time someone had expressed concern about her table manners; she'd grown so accustomed to living on her own. It was a little embarrassing.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sesshoumaru watching her. His sharply beautiful features were too blank to read. How could someone keep their face so still? It was like being studied by an ice sculpture.

"Have you decided?" she asked finally, tired of the pretense that she couldn't feel his gaze. His eyes narrowed imperceptibly, probably at the lack of proper address. She didn't particularly care. She'd never seriously called anyone 'my lord' in her life, and she wasn't going to start now.

"No," he replied calmly. "I was wondering about you."

That caught her off guard. She recovered with a scant shred of dignity. Barely. "Anything in particular?"

"Mm. No. Except that you seem somewhat young to be a bounty hunter."

She smiled without humor. "Would you also say that I'm too young to have seen murder—or committed it, for that matter?"

"I see." Only his eyes showed any glint of interest. "Your upbringing was much like mine, then."

"Likely. I doubt Fate's been inclined to be kind to either of us." Her smile held an edge of bitterness. "We and our kind wreak too much havoc with That One's threads."

" 'Our kind'?" He even kept his _voice_ so damn still. She thought he sounded just a little curious, though. "Your scent is not youkai, but not quite mortal. And if you were living on my lands—" his not-smile matched hers in temperature and tone "—I would know. Where do you make your home?"

She bit off a short, sour laugh. "I haven't had a _home_ for a very long time, inu-san. I don't particularly feel the need for one, either. I'm good at what I do. That's all I need." _That, and revenge, and I'll be a happy woman._

"A career girl," he remarked with something perilously close to amusement. "That, I can live with."

"I'm so glad I passed inspection." _Damn you for bringing up those memories. And for smiling._ He was entirely too attractive when he smiled, even slightly. It made her uncomfortable. He seemed safer as an ice sculpture.

She got her wish; he seemed to deep-freeze before her eyes. He didn't like her tone.

_Too bad, so sad,_ she thought defiantly, meeting him glare for flat glare. _I'm not some meek little hime who's going to fawn over him to get what I want. He wants a shot at that sword, he's gonna have to put up with me._

The wind shifted, and suddenly an overpowering gust of _Power_ slammed into her senses. Sesshoumaru's silver-crowned head whipped around; he smelled it, too.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken croaked from behind them. "What the he—" he glanced at Rin, and checked his language "—eck _is_ that?"

"Trouble," Ryukasei murmured. She glanced at the inu-youkai, then raised one eyebrow. "Shall we go see what we can do for it?"

He favored her with a small smile. "If you wish. Rin, stay with Jaken."

"Where are you going, Sesshoumaru-sama?" the little girl asked, a pout threatening to form.

"I won't be gone long, Rin," he soothed. "Stay with Jaken and watch the dragon until I get back."

The pout subsided a little. "Okay, Sesshoumaru-sama." She still looked unhappy, though. Again, Ryukasei wondered just what it was about little Rin that seemed to bring out the best in the powerful youkai.

She didn't ponder it long; Sesshoumaru melted silently into the trees, and the red-haired hunter vanished close behind him. The two of them might as well have been tree shadows, for all the disturbance they caused in the forest. In the sharpened state of awareness that made her so efficient a hunter, Ryukasei heard the slight rasp of the leaves that fluttered in errant breezes, could make out the subtle patterns in the dull feathers of a songbird that barely noticed their presence. The scent of Power drowned out all others, though; a blind man with a head cold could have tracked it.

Soon, the scent began to take on definition. Ryukasei could feel different currents in the flow, each telling her different things about the wielder. From the overall shape of the flow, she knew that the quarry was male, a fair bit beyond prime age, entirely human, but still possessing Power. His particular magic was that of Seeing what most mortals could not, and he was not using it at the moment. She caught other bits of information as they passed: a slight eddying _here_ meant the target was at ease, a little irregularity _there_ signified that he was concentrating on something. Probably doing a familiar craft or hobby.

Her conscience nagged at her. _An old psychic guy whittling wood. _Real_ tough, girl. You're such a bad-ass._ She reassured herself that they probably weren't going to attack the guy. They just wanted to know what was up.

_Right. And frogs will puke up ramen noodles and fly rings around Sesshoumaru's head._

The youkai stopped at the edge of a clearing similar to the one they'd landed in. Ryukasei looked around it warily. Very similar. Something felt wrong. It even smelled the same.

In fact...

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin's face popped out from behind a bush, happy again.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken asked as he too appeared, confused. "Are you done already?"

"What in—?" the inu-youkai muttered, actually sounding perplexed. Ryukasei didn't savor the moment, though; she was as mystified as he was. She _knew_ they hadn't been going in circles, so what the hell had happened?

"This way," she muttered to Sesshoumaru, motioning back the way they'd come. He followed her mutely, a silent, bristling, bewildered presence at her back that wasn't at all comforting. Again she followed the scent of magic, this time paying closer attention to the little whorls and rifts in the stream.

Five minutes later, they were back in the clearing.

"What the hell is going on?" Sesshoumaru snarled softly. Rin shrank back from his anger, frightened. So did Jaken and the two-headed dragon. Ryukasei held her ground, much as she would have liked to copy the others. The inu-youkai radiated baffled anger, and the imminent sense that _some_body, _some_where, was going to pay for his confusion. But she was just as angry, just as scared, and just as eager for somebody's head. She kept her body tightly under control.

Before she could open her mouth to speak, a second wave of Power rolled over her. She stifled a groan; this was just not her day. Even if she could put off the headache this was going to cause her sooner or later, the extra tension in the air ensured that everyone else—including one tall, strong, and extremely temperamental inu-youkai—was going to have the same problem. And she couldn't delay _everyone's_ headaches.

Then the intricacies of the second flow reached her. And her eyes widened, then narrowed as she began to smile.

Sesshoumaru growled softly in his throat. "What are you grinning about?"

She didn't answer directly. That wouldn't have been any fun. "Follow me," she said instead. The one-armed youkai looked very much as if he wanted to reach over and strangle her for that phrase, but she turned right around and started off, giving him no room for argument. She felt like snickering at the look on his face, but instead she concentrated on following the blaze of Power that was heading, none too slowly, for the first Power source.

The second Power was very familiar, indeed. Ryukasei grinned. Very familiar, and of great interest to them both. She felt her scarred hand pulse in anticipation. _Sesshoumaru'd better hurry up and decide, or I might just take all the prizes myself._

The breeze in her face blew harder, and suddenly the inu-youkai was right next to her, matching her stride. His face was expressionless as ever, but she thought she detected a spark of avarice in his eyes. Likely he'd caught the physical scent of their prey, just as she'd sensed the magical.

_And his instincts are screaming, 'don't let her get to it first,'_ she sniffed to herself. _Dogs._ She accelerated.

They slowed almost simultaneously as voices reached their sharp ears. Two were female, chatting idly. Two more were male, one very young. The hunter wasn't sure, but she thought there were two more men, though if there were, neither spoke. As far as the magic that coated the air, though, there were at least five travelers: one who radiated clerical magic—albeit slightly askew, as if it didn't quite suit him—two full (but minor) youkai, a hanyou, and... she shook her head, disconcerted. Someone else, who didn't fit any category she'd ever seen. Just familiar enough to be irritating, though.

And another presence, one that felt a little less obvious than a thousand-foot-high signal beacon.

She grinned. _Hello, Miko-san._


	6. Hitting The Fan

_Disclaimer: _I don't. You know what I don't. We all know. Why am I putting this up again?

_A/N: _Woo, been online all day… amazing, how much that saps your energy. Yes, I need a life. In fact, I could probably be doing five zillion things to improve it right now, the least of which is my homework. Am I not sad? Reviews, please. I am tired.

_6_

_Hitting The Fan_

Kagome was making forcedly idle chat with Sango, but neither girl's mind was on it. Their thoughts were back with the boys, with a brooding Inuyasha and Miroku, with a Shippou-pestered Keitaro.

_It wasn't supposed to be so serious. It wasn't anything bad at all,_ the girl thought miserably, pulling her jacket closer around her as the breeze tugged at her hair, trying to chill her. She brushed the black strands clear of her face, suddenly irritated. _Why does he have to be such an idiot? He doesn't even look at me unless he thinks I'm going somewhere he doesn't want me to... like when I have to go home, or when Kouga comes around..._ She kicked at a tree root, her anger rising to a fine seethe. Sango was going on ahead, scouting, leaving Kagome to stew in her thoughts.

_And then he sneaks off places to be with Kikyo, and I'm supposed to just smile and ignore it? Jerk! Baka!_ she fumed. _Why do I even put up with him? I could be at home right now, not having to worry about my grades going down the toilet, with somebody who really_ cares _about me, like Hojo…_

She heaved a sigh as the life she pictured for herself surfaced. She already knew why she was here, and why she wouldn't be happy with a normal life, no matter how much she complained. _It wouldn't be the same. I can't abandon the Shikon no Tama to Naraku, any more than I can leave Sango or Shippou, or even Miroku. Inuyasha... even if he is a violent, foul-mouthed jerk with nothing but rock between his ears... I can't leave him behind._

_Ears..._

She quickly squashed the image of fuzzy dog ears that always popped up at the least convenient times. Casting hastily about for something else to mull over, her mind landed on Keitaro.

_What's he going to do once his name is cleared?_ she wondered. _Once we find the hermit the villagers said was out here, nobody'll be able to doubt his word anymore. He_ could _travel with us; if he's as set against Naraku as the rest of us are, he'd fit right in. And he can take care of himself; he's shown that._

_Except that Miroku and Inuyasha don't like him... what if it breaks up the group?_

She shook her head determinedly. _They'll change their minds. Once they see they've been wrong, they'll change their minds. They're not _that_ pigheaded._

_Yes, they are,_ a little corner of her mind contradicted her. She growled in frustration at it; why was it always right?

A spark of light caught the corner of her eye, dragged her out of her thoughts. As she realized what she was seeing, her jaw dropped slowly open.

The trees were glowing.

Not all of them, she realized dimly. Just the ones they could see, the ones that were lining their path. It was very beautiful to see the shadowed green foliage lit with that soft shine, but it was also eerie beyond belief. Like something out of a bad sword-and-sorcery movie, except that people didn't really get hurt or killed in movies. This wasn't a film set, and Kagome knew better than to assume that none of them could be hurt. There was too much evidence to the contrary.

"Miko-sama," a voice murmured in her ear. The startled yelp she gave was almost a shriek, and left painful imprints on everyone's ears. Especially Keitaro's, who'd been trying to get her attention.

"_Quiet!"_ five voices hissed at her. Red-faced, she nodded, trying to slow her heart rate down to something below the beat of a hummingbird's wings.

"Gomen nasai, Keitaro-sama. What were you going to tell me?"

"The trees. Do you see them?"

She looked at him for a moment, trying to figure out whether he was being funny. How could anyone _not_ see them? "They're glowing. Why are they doing it? Is something living in them?"

"I don't know. As far as I know, there's nothing unusual hidden in them. How bright are they?"

"Keitaro, what are you talking about? Don't you see them? They're as bright as torches!"

"Not to me, they aren't. All I'm getting are little flashes of light once in a while," he replied quietly.

She blinked in surprise. _What's going on? Can't—_ Then she realized that the others hadn't said anything about lit-up trees. She remembered the Shikon shards, and the other lights and creatures that only she had been able to see. It came with being a miko; there were some things that weren't visible to others' eyes. She felt like slapping her forehead. _Of all the times to forget that!_

"It only lights up our path," the girl murmured, realizing. "As if somebody's trying to show us where to go."

Keitaro didn't look overly pleased with that news. "Meaning that someone knows we're coming, even though we're out in the middle of nowhere and traveling faster than most groups our size would." He fingered his strung bow, running a thumb along the smooth, carved wood. Kagome remembered how fast he had moved the first day they'd met him, how easily he'd dumped Inuyasha on his head. Hanyou though he was, Inuyasha wasn't anybody to be tossed aside lightly. Her eyes wandered to Keitaro's distant amber gaze, turned harder than steel now, and she shivered a little. The only comparison she could think of was to the mercifully infrequent times when Inuyasha's youkai blood had overwhelmed his self-control.

"They might not be hostile," she cautioned.

"But they might be," Keitaro countered. "And they have an advantage now."

Kagome was silent. There wasn't anything to say to that.

She relayed their findings to the others. Silently, they took up their usual places: Inuyasha leading, with Kagome and Miroku close behind; Sango and youkai-Kirara guarding the rear, leaving Keitaro in the middle, with Shippou perched on his shoulder. The trees, Kagome noticed, were bordering on painfully bright now. They had to be close.

Inuyasha slowed, one hand tight on Tetsusaiga's hilt. "Somebody's there," he muttered tersely. Kagome edged forward, looking into the clearing they were standing on the edge of. In the center of it, partially hidden by tall and exotic shrubs, was a small, shrine-like house. An old man in faded robes sat on a stump in front of the house with his back to them, head bowed in mild concentration. He didn't appear to notice them.

Kagome frowned. "I don't understand it," she whispered. "There's Power everywhere, but... I can't see any around him..."

"We'll have to deal with him sometime," Miroku pointed out. "The villagers told us he's the only one around for miles who can do what we want." Kagome sighed resignedly, and Inuyasha growled.

"Perhaps you should go first, houshi-sama?" Sango suggested, just a little tartly. "One man of the cloth to another?" Miroku looked as if he wanted to argue—or at least split hairs—but he just closed his mouth thinly and stepped into the clearing.

"Hello, houshi-sama?" he called. "My companions and I have traveled a long way to greet you. May we speak for a moment?"

The old man didn't move, speak, or acknowledge the monk in any way.

Miroku tried again, more loudly. "We would ask a favor of you. Will you hear us?"

Still no response. Kagome studied the man dubiously; he appeared to be breathing. Was there something wrong with him?

Inuyasha was less diplomatic. Marching up to the old man, he nudged him with his foot. "Oy. Jiji." Before Kagome could hiss at the hanyou to get back _right now,_ the old man slipped sideways and fell off the stump with a _thud._ Everyone winced, but the man just let out the most enormous snore Kagome had ever heard and still didn't move.

"Feh." Inuyasha wrinkled his nose. "I thought I smelled something." He glanced back at Miroku, golden eyes amused. "Your mystic Buddhist is drunk, Miroku."

"What are you doing?"

Inuyasha practically leaped out of his skin at the voice behind him. So did everyone else; Kagome hadn't seen anybody come up. She didn't have to 'sit' Inuyasha for overreacting, though; he wasn't attacking, instead looking bemusedly at the knee-high child who was staring fixedly up at him.

"What are you doing?" the child repeated. Kagome frowned, realizing she couldn't tell whether it was a boy or girl. The hair length and clothing were no indicator, the body was too young to have developed either way, and the features were delicate, but not overtly feminine. And there was no… sense… of any sort of gender. Even with babies, she could usually tell boys from girls, but not this child.

"Uhh…" Inuyasha was having as much trouble with this scenario as she was. "We're… looking for a priest?"

"You have one." The child indicated Miroku.

"Not much of one," the hanyou muttered. Miroku pretended not to have heard and picked up the conversation.

"We've heard of the honored houshi's accomplishments, and wished to beg a favor."

The child cocked his—her?—head. "He won't be much help right now. He's asleep. He's usually asleep. Mostly this one is who is sought." She—he?—looked up at Kagome consideringly. The girl realized that those impossibly old eyes were of two different colors; one a light grey just short of true white, the other a brown so deep as to be almost black. "Can this one help you? The others who come look for houshi-dono, but this one is who they find."

Sango started to reply. "Little one, I think—" but Kagome shook her head, glancing back at her friend. No matter what the body looked like, this was no child. The old monk was not the one with the power; the little one was.

"We need someone who can tell truth from lies, little one," she told the ancient-eyed child.

He—she? This was getting frustrating—nodded. "For the Royal-born. He doesn't tell you everything about himself."

Kagome shot a startled glance at Keitaro. _Royal-born!_ The blond man shrugged helplessly. "Yes, for him," the girl said slowly. "We need to know what his intentions are." The child walked fearlessly toward Keitaro, who knelt down to her—his!—eye level. They _said_ nothing, but Kagome had the eerie sensation that they were speaking to each other. Finally, the child spoke.

"You ran from your birth-place to save your self, but now you have no self." That light, indeterminate voice was soft, but terrifyingly certain. "You have only half. Did you not learn that everything must balance?"

"I have searched," Keitaro replied evenly. "It's a fool's errand. I've balanced as much of myself as possible. Now I can balance other things."

The child shook his/her head. "This one says it isn't useless. It's harder to balance oneself than it is to balance other things, but not impossible." She/he looked toward Inuyasha. "That one is more trained than you, Royal-born. You haven't lived with duality your entire life, even though you'd like to think it."

Keitaro's eyes narrowed unhappily, and he seemed about to protest, but the child was no longer paying attention to him. That black-and-white gaze was staring into the forest, exactly the opposite of where they'd come from.

"An ambush," he/she said conversationally. "You won't recognize the Hunter, Royal-born, but you'll know her." She/he looked at Kagome. "He speaks the truth. You need not fear him as long as he's complete."

"A seer," a low, unfamiliar female voice said from the direction the child had been staring a moment before. She sounded amused. "You project a convincing aura, little one."

"Little brother," a silky, all-too-familiar male voice murmured from the same direction. "What a complete lack of surprise."

"Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha snarled, his claws lengthening. "Show yourself, you bastard."

But the figure that slipped sinuously from within the forest shadows was quite clearly _not_ Sesshoumaru. Unless the youkai lord had transformed himself into five feet and four inches of slender, lithely muscled, red-haired, cool-eyed female, and squeezed himself into a black silk-and-armor costume that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Kagome's eyes instinctively darted to Inuyasha, and narrowed immediately; the hanyou looked completely gobsmacked. So did Miroku. Keitaro was also stunned, but there was confusion mixed into his look. The puzzlement increased when the woman's impassive blue-green gaze slid to him, and lingered.

_The kid talked about… a hunter?_ Kagome thought, bewildered. _She must be it… but what the heck was that other stuff about?_

_At least we know we can trust him now._ Her gaze flicked toward Sesshoumaru, who had emerged from the forest to stand beside the red-haired woman—who, like Keitaro, was not youkai, but still not normal. _I think we're gonna need him, too._

Inuyasha's paralysis had broken at the sight of his brother. "Do you even need to make demands, or should we just get straight to the part where I kill you?" he snarled, cracking his knuckles.

"Your hubris, although somewhat amusing, is endlessly insufferable," Sesshoumaru replied calmly. "By all means, make your usual barbaric flourishes before we begin."

"_My_ flourishes! Who can't take a piss without having somebody kiss his ass and say how wonderful he is?"

"I see what you mean," the redhead murmured to Sesshoumaru. "He's interesting." The youkai lord frowned slightly at her, and Inuyasha glared. Kagome's eyes narrowed dangerously; she didn't like the speculative look that girl was aiming at the hanyou. Ignoring Kagome and both brothers, the woman stepped forward.

"I suggest you lay Tetsusaiga down, Inuyasha, before someone gets hurt."

"Heh." Inuyasha smirked. "If you don't like pain, say so and get out of my way. I don't go easy on women. Sesshoumaru, are you letting a _girl_ fight your battles for you?"

He was completely oblivious to the outraged glares he was getting from his own female companions. Kagome counted to ten. Twice. The red-haired girl noticed, and smiled slightly. For a moment, Kagome almost thought she could have liked this girl. If there hadn't been the tiny detail that she was working for Inuyasha's would-be murderer in the way.

"Last warning, Inuyasha."

"Feh!" Inuyasha charged toward her, unsheathing Tetsusaiga as he went. _"No way in hell!"_

He missed his target as she dodged, and the katana struck the ground with a roar like a thunderclap. The redhead vaulted over his head and landed squarely in the middle of the group. Kagome's eyes widened at the woman's speed, but she had no chance to ready her bow before something seized her by the throat and began to squeeze. She choked and scrabbled at whatever was holding her—but her fingers met only air.

"I warned you," the woman told Inuyasha matter-of-factly. She wasn't touching anyone, was still standing in the center—but around her, everyone except Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, and the clairvoyant child was gagging and struggling with an invisible strangling force. The hanyou's face was horror-stricken, then furious.

"Cowardly bitch! Let them go!"

"In a heartbeat," she replied serenely. "Your choice. Tetsusaiga or your friends?"

Kagome tried to shake her head, tried to tell Inuyasha that the only way out was to fight, but the invisible grip twisted tighter, and stars were beginning to blind her as she gasped for air. She couldn't put anything stronger than a pleading look into her gaze as Inuyasha's eyes locked desperately with hers.

"All three," Sesshoumaru said suddenly. The red-haired woman's head whipped toward the youkai lord.

"Are you prepared to pay?" she challenged.

"Within my power," he replied calmly.

She sneered. "Within your _full_ power. You're not going to sucker me."

He hesitated, then confirmed, "Within my full power."

She nodded. "Done, inu—" Her voice cut off with a cry of annoyance as Inuyasha charged her, Tetsusaiga raised high. The woman gestured with both arms and a ball of fire exploded almost literally on top of the hanyou, blasting him backward across the clearing to plow into and knock down several trees. In the next instant, Kagome felt the invisible thing holding her dissolve, and she collapsed to the ground, coughing hoarsely. When she could, she looked up to find Keitaro and the redhead locked in combat; the girl had pulled a katana from somewhere Kagome could only guess at and was furiously dueling the blond man with one hand. The other hand was pulling something from a nearly-invisible sheath at the small of her back—a dagger.

"Her other hand! Keitaro!" Kagome shouted, yanking an arrow from her quiver and fumbling with her bow. If she could get a good shot—

"I would not, girl," Sesshoumaru called, but Kagome barely had time to look up in panic before something whistled over her head and forced the youkai lord to dodge sideways, away from her; Sango had thrown Hiraikotsu with accuracy that would have been deadly to almost anything else but the inu-youkai. Kagome looked back toward Keitaro's duel just in time to see his single remaining blade go flying from his hand. With an inarticulate shout, she raised her bow and shot.

The red-haired girl whirled at the last second, and the arrow hit her squarely in the chest—no, it didn't. She blocked it with… something… at the last minute, but the bolt flared with blinding light and knocked her backward several feet. In the time it took for her to recover, Keitaro had punched her in the gut and seized her by the back of the neck. Kagome couldn't see what he'd done, but the other girl went limp as a wet rag in the time it took to blink.

"You want Tetsusaiga, Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha roared from the edge of the clearing. "Come and get it! _Kaze no Kizu!"_

Sesshoumaru dodged the Cutting Wind as easily as he'd dodged Hiraikotsu. "Enjoy it while you're able, little brother," he told Inuyasha quite calmly. "It won't be long. That sword belongs to me."

"I'm the one who's holding it, you bastard!" the hanyou yelled back, but his half-brother had already disappeared into the forest. It was rather hard, Kagome reflected dazedly as she got shakily to her feet, to argue with someone who kept disappearing so suddenly all the time. You could never tell whether they'd heard that last insult you threw at them.

"Kagome," Keitaro called, "I need that rope in your pack."

Confused, Kagome looked at the blond youth, then realized that he was kneeling warily over the unconscious redhead, and understood.

"Will it hold her?" Sango asked as the other girl dug through her backpack. "She can use fire magic…"

"I can solve that," Miroku volunteered. The taijiya nodded, but watched the houshi with narrowed eyes as he squatted next to the fallen warrior. Kagome had a pretty good idea what her friend was watching for as she passed the rope to Keitaro. Their suspicions proved unnecessary, however; Miroku merely produced two small spell-scrolls from one of his multiple hidden pockets and secured them over both the unconscious girl's arms. Kagome imagined that she could see his uninjured hand twitch eagerly, but if it had the houshi mastered the impulse.

"Hey, I can help!" Shippou exclaimed. Quickly, he brought out a third spell-scroll and slapped it across one of her feet. "She won't be able to walk now… not without tripping." Satisfied, Keitaro proceeded to bind the girl securely around the hands and waist.

"Feh." Inuyasha watched them derisively. "It'll take her some time to get out of that, but d'you want to waste the rope?"

"We're taking her with us," Miroku responded calmly.

"Nani?" The hanyou clearly couldn't believe his fuzzy ears. "You want to drag around a lying bitch who can't even attack properly? What've you been drinking, bouzu?"

"She can't attack us if we're watching her all the time," Sango told him reasonably.

"And she's tied up and can't do magic," Shippou added.

"That's wonderful," Inuyasha growled with biting sarcasm, "but it still doesn't tell me why we'd want to drag her around in the first place!"

"She might have information about your brother," Kagome suggested. Likely, since she'd apparently been working for him. "What he wanted from the kid, maybe?" Unfortunately, there was no way to tell whether she'd rat on him. They'd have to find out.

"Half-brother," Inuyasha corrected, but he looked like he was at least considering the idea. Finally he shrugged. "Whatever."

_If I had a hundred yen for every time he said that…_ she sighed, regretting that she'd ever taught him that word as they filed slowly back down the forest path, falling into their natural places. A newly accepted… sort of… Keitaro carried their captive; Sango had smacked Miroku when he'd volunteered.

Behind them, from the shelter of the little hut's doorway, a pair of black-and-white eyes watched them go. The child smiled.

"It's begun, Royal-born… the Hunter's found you."


End file.
